Elmar Huseynov

Monitor

March 2, 2005, in Baku, Azerbaijan

Huseynov, founder and editor of the opposition weekly news magazine Monitor, was gunned down in his apartment building in the capital, Baku.

Huseynov was shot several times while walking up the stairwell of his
building on his way home from work, according to local reports. The
shooting occurred at approximately 9 p.m., and the editor died at the
scene, the Baku-based independent news agency Turan reported.

The attack appears to have been well-planned. Chingiz Sultansoy, deputy
director of the Baku Press Club, told CPJ in a telephone interview that
a light at the entrance of the apartment building was not working, and
that several telephones in the area had been disconnected at the time
of the shooting.

Huseynov's family said the editor had received several threats
and was concerned about his security, Sultansoy said. Eynulla
Fatullayev, an investigative reporter with Monitor, told CPJ he believes that Huseynov's murder was related to his work.

Monitor has
long angered officials with its hard-hitting commentary. The magazine
has been targeted with several lawsuits in retaliation for its critical
reporting, and journalists working for the publication have faced a
steady stream of harassment from government officials.

In April, the National Security Ministry identified several ethnic
Azerbaijanis living in neighboring Georgia as suspects, but the
ministry did not describe any motive or provide any evidence linking
them to the crime. Georgian authorities refused to extradite the
suspects due to the lack of evidence. Huseynov's family and colleagues
criticized authorities for not looking into work-related motives.